Château Lanessan 2014

Lanessan has been changing since manager Paz Espejo arrived in 2009, with Eric Boissenot a key to defining blends. This is a solid wine that is beginning to open. It has a savoury nose with menthol and liquorice, and a palate that’s medium-bodied, fresh and linear, with slightly sandy tannins on the finish.

The 2014 Lanessan is gorgeous. Wild cherry, herb and tobacco give the wine its distinctive savory aromatic profile, while firm tannins add energy. The result is a touch rustic, but it is also immensely pleasing. There is lovely depth in the glass, although the 2014 appears to have shut down a bit post-bottling.

Medium-bodied, bright, crisp, and fresh, with a focus on its red-fruit character, spice, and earthy notes. This should drink well early.

Elegant nose with morello cherry, stone, black fruits, delicate flowers and ripe bell pepper; the palate follows the same line, supple, with fine, fresh tannins, length and balance. Very harmonious.

A dense, tannic, refined wine, built for ageing, very successful, in keeping with the fine recent vintages.

The 2014 Lanessan still offers that rather exuberant, high-toned bouquet I noted from barrel: fleshy red cherry and strawberry fruit laced with a touch of orange blossom, perhaps less floral than it showed back then. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly dry, grainy tannins on the entry. It is balanced but simply lacks the depth and substance I had hoped it would gain during its barrel maturation. As such, I feel this will be an earlier-drinking Lanessan than I expected.